Sandy Berger to Cop a Plea Tomorrow - Bill Clinton to Cop a Feel

[classicman2]

NBC is reporting that Berger will plead guilty to a misdmeanor - mishandling classified documents.

You know Sandy - he's the guy that tried to make it out of The National Archives with all of those classified documents.

Misdmeanor? :hscratch:

[X]

Misdmeanor? :hscratch:Misdemeanor.

[kvrdave]

The republicans got him off easy and everyone knows it. Bush is running a totalitarian state and this is the bone he threw to us that is suppose to make us think he is tough on his own guys, too.

What? It's a democrat? Then justice was served.


Actually, when I hear his name, I am reminded of the hot chick Jughead fell in love with at the beach in an old Archie Andrew comic. :)

[Numanoid]

Misdemeanor.
Thanks. Now it makes sense.

[Goldblum]

Ah, good ol' Sandy Burgler. But...I thought he just put the documents in his pants by mistake? Ya know, he must have been reading them on the john and then forgot about them when he zipped up.

[wendersfan]

I so want to start a companion thread titled "Bill Clinton to cop a feel tomorrow" but I'm far too mature for that. ;)

[mikehunt]

I'm sure the original charge was a felony

[wendersfan]

Clearly one thing we can't accuse the mods here as having is maturity. :up:

[bhk]

Ah, the Clintons, the gift that keeps on giving.

[darkflounder]

And for hiding the Clinton's role in 9/11, Sandy Berger gets...

a frigging slap on the wrist.

Every good thing that Bush does, he does something like this to piss me off. I miss the Clintons, at least we could hate everything they did.

[wmansir]

NY Times Article (http://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/01/politics/01berger.html?ex=1112936400&en=b1370b971165a3b2&ei=5065&partner=MYWAY)

Condensed version, with bolding for ADDers:

Samuel R. Berger, a national security adviser to President Bill Clinton, has agreed to plead guilty to a misdemeanor charge and give up his security clearance for three years for removing classified material from a government archive, the Justice Department and associates of Mr. Berger's said Thursday.

A respected figure in foreign policy circles for years, Mr. Berger has also agreed to pay a $10,000 fine as part of an agreement reached recently with the Justice Department after months of quiet negotiations, the associates said

...

When the issue surfaced last year, Mr. Berger insisted that he had removed the classified material inadvertently. But in the plea agreement reached with prosecutors, he is expected to admit that he intentionally removed copies of five classified documents, destroyed three and misled staff members at the National Archives when confronted about it, according to an associate of Mr. Berger's who is involved in his defense but who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the plea has not been formalized in court.

...

The criminal charge stems from Mr. Berger's removal of documents from the National Archives on two occasions during his review of material for the Sept. 11 commission.

On Sept. 2, 2003, in a daylong review of documents, Mr. Berger took a copy of a lengthy White House "after-action" report that he had commissioned to assess the government's performance in responding to the so-called millennium terrorist threat before New Year's 2000, and he placed the document in his pocket, the associate said. A month later, in another Archives session, he removed four copies of other versions of the report, the associate said.

Mr. Berger's intent, the associate said, was to compare the different versions of the 2000 report side by side and trace changes.

"He was just too tired and wasn't able to focus enough, and he felt like he needed to look at the documents in his home or his office to line them up," the associate said. "He now admits that was a real mistake."

Mr. Berger admits to compounding the mistake after removing the second set of documents on Oct. 2, 2003, the associate said. In comparing the versions at his office later that day, he realized that several were essentially the same, and he cut three copies into small pieces, the associate said. He also admitted to improperly removing handwritten notes he had taken at the Archives, the associate said.

Two days later, staff members at the Archives confronted Mr. Berger, and he now admits to misleading the Archives about what had happened. He indicated that the removal was inadvertent, and though he returned the two remaining copies of the report, he said nothing about the three he had destroyed, the associate said.

PS. His explanation stinks like day old fish. (<--- now that's maturity, imagine how easily an obscene cigar reference could have been made)

[Ranger]

I don't really think he deserves jailtime, but his security clearance should be permanently suspended.

[classicman2]

People have been jailed for less - haven't they?

$10,000 fine for the theft (& that's what it is) of classified documents. :rolleyes:

[Ranger]

I do think the fine should be a $100,000-250,000 for each violation count.

[Shoveler]

I'm sure Michael Moore will rush to make a movie speculating about what was on those shredded documents. Let me tell you something... I have a clearance, and work in a classified environment (no big deal, I'm sure others around here do as well). There is no way that someone with a clearance could somehow forget the procedures and safeguards in place and "accidentally" take something home to review it. There is also no way that he could have hoped to get away with this. Whatever was on the documents that were destroyed must've been extremely incriminating for Berger to have fallen on his sword like this. He was sent on a suicide mission, and should be sent to prison for treason. Anyone who truly buys his explanation is either an idiot, a naive fool, or simply doesn't understand the nature of classified documents and the storage and handling of such. The best analogy I can provide would be if an Asst. DA visited a police evidence locker to examine some evidence, inadvertently stuck some of the evidence in his pocket so that he could study it at home, and then, once home, decided that a lot of the evidence was redundant so he destroyed some of it. Oh, and the case is against the DA. -ohbfrank-

I suspect that this plea bargain was negotiated because it would have been extremely difficult presented in prosecuting the case. Since espionage was not a factor, it wouldn't have been worth the effort and expense. But it is still despicable.

[mikehunt]

I heard he will be eligible to get his security clearance back in a few years
WTF?

[X]

Wow! That was harsh. -rolleyes-

Judge Orders Berger to Pay $50,000 Fine

WASHINGTON - Sandy Berger,

President Clinton's national security adviser who was once entrusted with the nation's most sensitive secrets, was fined $50,000 Thursday for taking classified documents from the National Archives.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Deborah Robinson handed down the punishment in federal court, stiffening the $10,000 fine recommended by government lawyers. Under the deal, Berger avoids prison time but he must surrender access to classified government materials for three years.

"The court finds the fine is inadequate because it doesn't reflect the seriousness of the offense," Robinson said, as a grim-faced Berger stood silently.

She also sentenced Berger to two years' probation and 100 hours of community service.

Earlier in the hearing, Berger made a short emotional plea that admitted fault and expressed remorse for his crime.

"I let considerations of personal convenience override clear rules of handling classified material," said Berger, calling his actions a lapse of judgment that came while he was preparing to testify before the Sept. 11 commission last year.

"In this case, I failed. I will not again," he said.

The sentencing capped a bizarre sequence of events in which Berger admitted to sneaking classified documents out of the National Archives in his suit, later destroying some of them in his office and then lying about it.

Berger's lawyer, Lanny Breuer, said his client will not appeal the sentence.

The Bush administration disclosed the investigation in July 2004, just days before the Sept. 11 commission issued its final report. Democrats claimed the White House was using Berger to deflect attention from the harsh findings, with their potential for damaging

President Bush's re-election prospects.

Initially saying his actions were an "honest mistake," Berger later pleaded guilty in April to a misdemeanor of unauthorized removal and retention of classified material, which contained information relating to terror threats in the United States during the 2000 millennium celebration.

During Thursday's hearing, Breuer characterized Berger as an official eager to get the facts of the Sept. 11 attacks right when he improperly took classified documents and handwritten notes from the Archives.

"The tragedy of 9-11 weighed heavily on him," Breuer said.

Robinson repeatedly questioned Breuer and government lawyers about a provision in federal law that calls for examining a defendant's financial background when issuing punishments. Both attorneys responded that they believed a $10,000 fine was still appropriate.

The Associated Press first reported in July 2004 that the Justice Department was investigating Berger. The disclosure prompted Berger to step down as an adviser to the campaign of Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry.

Clinton was among the Democrats who questioned the timing of the disclosure of the Berger probe three days before the release of the Sept. 11 report. Leaders of the Sept. 11 commission said they were able to get every key document needed to complete their report.

[kvrdave]

He did it for us. Ahhhhhhh. :lol:

[Myster X]

http://www.strangepolitics.com/images/content/101465.jpg

[cinten]

And for hiding the Clinton's role in 9/11, Sandy Berger gets...

What right wing Rush lunacy are you talking about?

Yes, because Clinton was the one who did nothing after the August 6th memo titled "Bin Laden determined to strike inside U.S." Oh wait that was Bush.

Clinton was the one who sent way too few troops to Tora Bora and left an escape route for Bin Laden.Oh wait that was Bush.

Clinton was the one who didn't want to meet with his terrorism advisors and said that terrorism wasn't a concern. Oh wait that was Bush.

Clinton was the one who pulled troops from the Bin Laden hunt to get all those WMDs in Iraq. Oh wait that was Bush.

Clinton was the one who said that Bin Laden doesn't concern him anymore. Oh wait that was Bush.

It boggles the mind that people can still blame everything on Clinton while their golden boy Bush is still a hero even after failure after failure.



a frigging slap on the wrist.

Funny how not a single person in the Bush administration got even a slap on the wrist after 9/11.

The republican response is pretty typical though. Blame Clinton and try to draw attention away from the Bush total failure. It seems hypocritical that people are screaming about that he might get his clearance back, but think it's ok that Rove, who leaked an undercover agents name continues to have his clearance. Just another republican hypocracy.

[nevermind]

Interesting article:


Technology proves boon to thieves of the old _ investigators, too
By Ron Todt
Associated Press Writer

Published: Jun 30, 2005 3:40 PM EST

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - A researcher at the National Archives tucks valuable historical documents into his clothes and walks out. In Philadelphia, an archives employee strolls out with valuable historic material. A court docket sheet from Leon Czolgosz's trial for the 1901 assassination of President William McKinley disappears from a dusty, oversized ledger in Buffalo, N.Y.

In all three cases, some of the booty winds up posted for sale online.

Welcome to the new frontier of theft, where good things sometimes come in tattered, musty packages — and can often be fenced to faceless buyers thousands of miles away.

The Internet is making it easier for thieves to sell stolen historic relics, often to unsuspecting buyers, but it's also helping authorities track down missing documents and those who took them.

Historians and dealers say the popular PBS treasures-in-attic program "Antiques Roadshow" has made the general public aware of how valuable historical treasures can be, and the Internet can provide a ready and anonymous marketplace for the unscrupulous.

"It's the mighty confluence where ignorance meets greed," said Salt Lake City rare book dealer Ken Sanders. Sanders, former chairman of the security committee for the Antiquarian Booksellers Association of America, has helped track book thieves across the country and internationally.

Paul Brachfeld, inspector general of the National Archives, said technology has increased the speed of sales and the magnitude of the problem.

"In the old days, it was harder to trade documents, but ... you can basically sell a document today and post it and somebody can sell it tomorrow — it's that fluid," he said.

The technology, however, is a "double-edged sword," Brachfeld said.

"The problem is increasing ... but it also gives us some really good investigative tools," Brachfeld said. "We can now look at what's being traded and sold just like the people who are interested in buying these items."

To that end, the National Archives has made an agreement with another archival entity — which Brachfeld will not name — to help keep track of what is being sold.

Sanders said technology also allows word of stolen items to be sent instantly to a network of 2,000 bookstores around the world.

Knowledgeable Web users also help.

Last year, Gettysburg-area historian Wayne E. Motts was tipped off by a friend about a historic document for sale on eBay. It was a letter signed by an Army officer named Lewis A. Armistead, who became a Confederate general and died leading his brigade in the ill-fated Pickett's Charge at the battle of Gettysburg.

Motts, the director of the Adams County Historical Society, had done his master's thesis on Armistead and recognized the three-page letter as one he had seen a decade earlier in the National Archives in Washington. What's more, he had the evidence to prove it — he had photocopied it.

"My heart sank when I went down to my file and compared it," said Motts, who knew immediately that the document, if genuine, must have been stolen.

The result was the arrest of Howard Harner, 68, of Staunton, Va., who from 1996 to 2002 hid 102 documents in his clothes to smuggle them out of a National Archives research room and sold them to a history buff and through various auctions. The documents included some signed by Confederate President Jefferson Davis and Gens. Philip Sheridan and George A. Custer.

"These were treasures, they really were national treasures of our nation's past, and just as a person working in that field, you hate to see that kind of material go away," Motts said.

Harner pleaded guilty and was sentenced in May to two years in prison. Motts was honored June 13 at the National Archives for his role in bringing the thefts to light. Lined up on a cart during the presentation were 42 of the stolen documents, all that had been recovered.

In 2002, former government archivist Shawn P. Aubitz was sentenced to 21 months in prison for stealing hundreds of historic documents beginning in 1996 while curator at the National Archives branch in Philadelphia. Like Harner, his thefts were uncovered when a National Park Service worker noticed one of the documents posted for sale on eBay.

In the Buffalo case, authorities couldn't determine when the docket was stolen, but the document was returned to its rightful home.

Sanders, the rare book dealer, also worries that criminals will become more brazen in their thefts. He pointed to a Kentucky case, where several men used a stun gun to subdue a librarian before stealing three rare books.

"The question I hate the worst in the store is 'What's the most valuable book you've got in here?'" Sanders said. "But I guess I've gotten awfully suspicious from doing security work for six years. It's a dark, dark world out there."

[cinten]

Interesting article:


Those people sold doccuments, Berger didn't.

[nevermind]

Those people sold doccuments, Berger didn't.
No, he destroyed them.